This could trigger a seismic shift at this year’s Game of the Year Awards, and send shockwaves through the RPG world. Expedition 33 has left Japanese studios with nowhere to hide – Sandfall’s debut forces them to wonder if, or how, they should respond. Especially Square Enix.

Let’s just call Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a JRPG, even though it hails from France, not Japan. These days, that “J” is more about tradition than origin. What fascinates me most since its release is what Japan’s JRPG masters are really thinking after playing it—especially since audiences of every stripe (even those who don’t usually love turn-based combat) are eating it up. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up taking not only Best RPG but Game of the Year at this pace.

If I were on a JRPG dev team, you can bet we’d be deep-diving what makes this game click. There’s no single answer: Expedition 33 just nails almost everything. Even without blockbuster budget, it boasts a stunning visual identity, a soundtrack destined for legend, memorable characters, a story that keeps sparking debate, and plot twists that actually work. Most of all, its combat system makes it hard to imagine going back to old-school turn-based games where you just sit and watch while the enemy attacks.

Reinvent or Stand Still?

Look, even I said a year ago that Final Fantasy XVI just *had* to be real-time—no way a game of that scale could go back to turn-based and expect to sell millions. I was fine with that because, hey, turn-based fans still have Trails, Persona, and the like. But what are people at Square Enix thinking right now, seeing Sandfall’s debut outsell FF16’s half-year numbers in a single month?

I wish more JRPGs realized there’s a mass market out there, and you don’t have to rely only on fancy visuals to get it. But just going back to turn-based isn’t enough—it needs to feel fresh and revolutionary. FFVII Remake (with its blend of tactics and action) nailed that, in my opinion. Even more important, though, is getting back to telling stories that stick. FF16 started strong, but to me, its ending felt hollow and soulless.

As for other franchises? Honestly, I doubt we’ll see big changes. Trails will keep doing its thing because it’s got a loyal base. Persona too—its identity *is* its appeal, but maybe Shin Megami Tensei should rethink its formula since it’s getting stale. The bottom line? For the first time in ages, a handful of French devs have thrown down the gauntlet in a “Japanese” genre, and now the old guard actually has to respond.

Source: 3djuegos